A Measure of Darkness
by Dr. Piglet
Summary: What exactly happens in the moments when no one is looking?  A series of one-shots between several characters that reveal their progress toward romance and hatred.


**Title:** A Measure of Darkness

**Author: **Dr. Piglet

**Rating: **R for some strong language

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling. No money, copyright, or trademark infringements are intended.

**Summary:** "Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness." OotP

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**A Measure of Darkness**

**Chapter 1**

And now there is merely silence, silence, silence, saying all we did not know. - William R. Benet

_"Diffindo," yelled, Harry, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron before his eyes, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds._

_"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" screamed Ginny, immobilized by her broken ankle on the floor - then a jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious. _

_- Order of the Phoenix, p. 598  
_

Ron Weasley was useless, of course.

It had been five hours, three days, and one week since he had slipped into a coma. And seeing him like this was worse because Ron wasn't. . well, because seeing Ron. . .

Lines appeared on Ginny's lips and tightened 'til it bared a row of pearl teeth under a stiff smile.

She whispered low and gentle against a quaffle-shaped freckle on Ron's shoulder. "You still smell like grass." The desire to sob was unexpected and painful. "How is that? Everything else has changed."

Her eyelids squeezed tighter until she saw colors and imagined being blind, imagined her empty hands constantly stretched to reach for light; her fingers instinctively clenched Ron's dry undershirt. Was it like that for him in there?

She wondered if Ron was listening from inside his coma and a selfish part of her wished he was. She could imagine him sputter and squawk in indignation when Madame Pomfrey came to give him sponge baths. Or laugh when Hermione decided "Ulopin Uquidemy's Ultimate Guide to Mathematics and Other Nonsense" was appropriate bedtime material.

But another, more desperate part of herself, hoped that Ron was roaming somewhere through his memories of 1st year. Perhaps right now he was climbing up to the Gryffindor Common Room, his little steps drowsy but happy, a sleepy smile plumping his tired cheeks.

Because sometimes when she stared down at him, somewhere deep inside past the fluttering eyelids, she could not help but think that Ron was screaming to wake up.

"Er, Ginny?"

The tears reared swiftly behind her eyes, instantly furious that someone would encroach her private moment with Ron. The frustration lasted for a moment when she saw who it was. She moved to sit up, knowing there were only a few more minutes before she had to return to the Common Room anyway and really, he was Ron's friend.

Harry's grin twisted, a flicker of misery that settled uncertainly on a smile. "How are you today?"

It had been weeks since they had acknowledged one another. Harry had been avoiding everyone but Hermione, and Ginny knew from random talks that he had even limited his exchanges with her. She wouldn't have even known that he visited Ron if she hadn't been flying past the windows of the Hospital Wing yesterday morning.

"G-Ginny?"

Her eyes flickered to him, ready to give a flippant reply, but stilled. The right side of his face, from cheek to chin, was still pink and raw from their ordeal at the Ministry. Ginny watched as her heart helplessly clawed at her throat, clenched, then beat faster at Harry's gaze. All at once, she was back in the wet and cold Chamber. He had that same look he had now.

She wanted him see her cry but her pride forbids it, displaced as it was. Her tears steeled, hardened, and receded deep within her stomach. Instead, her eyes started tracing the strawberry scars fastened on Ron's arms, swirling to the coils that went under his oxter, up and through the ginger forest of hair on his forearms.

A shadow shuffled softly towards her. "He'll be back."

She pressed her face into the warm bed's linen, hoping and praying Harry would leave.

The air around them hesitated for a very long time, long enough for her breathing to deepen and her eyes to slowly fall. Ginny distantly felt the warm pressure of a hand on hers before she fell into an exhausted sleep.

**Reviews are appreciated!**


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